BEHOLD THESE PRESENT DAYS

By David Wheatley

David went behind the bar of the Princess, closely followed by Elektra, Yukio and Jessica Drew. The fighting was silent outside, the cease-fire still in effect for the funeral of Tyger Tiger. In a hour at the most it would be over and the war would begin again.

“We don’t have much time,” said David as he poured them a drink. “We need to find out who has done this and why.”

“We’ve drawn a blank so far,” said Jessica. “None of my contacts have provided any information.”

“I’ve found nothing on my travels either,” said Yukio, who had been travelling around the island spying on the various factions.

“Those who we captured were… unwilling to talk,” said Elektra. “However we are faced with two other problems. Firstly, without any major crime lord left on the island, the underworld forces are running rampant and unchecked. Without a leader they have no significant strategy.”

“So they’re doing whatever the hell they want?” commented David. “Brilliant. The other problem?”

“Same goes for Hydra. Viper seems to have gone in to hiding since the war started. Nobody’s seen her since the murder of Tyger.” Elektra took a sip of the drink after she finished speaking. It was possible that her scarring of Viper’s face was a catalyst for her disappearance.

“So Hydra are running unchecked as well?” said David. “That explains the indiscriminate damage from both sides.”

“We need Logan,” said Yukio. “He can take control of the underworld, unite the rest of Madripoor and drive Hydra out.”

“Until the next Hydra comes along, darlin'” said a voice from the doorway.

“Logan!” said Elektra. “What happened?”

“Long story,” he replied, kissing her on the cheek as he walked past. “Which I’ll tell you later. I heard what you were saying. Looks like someone’s set this up real big.”

“Can we stop the war without taking out the puppet-master?” asked Jessica.

“Don’t think so, but I have a few people on standby, just in case things get way out of hand,” said Logan. “I also picked up this, whilst I was gone.” He took the honour sword of the Clan Yashida out and placed it on the bar. “I meet the assassin again, my claws won’t cut it. Maybe this will. ”

“So what do we do?” asked David.

“Yukio, find a man Morrow, should be around Wharfside. Jess, check out the corner of third and western. It’s a warehouse…”

“Chi Quano’s, I know it,” said Jess.

“That’s the new safe house of the Hand,” said Logan, and held Elektra’s hand, as he felt her stiffen slightly. “Find out what’s going on in there, what they’re role is in this.” Jessica nodded and then Logan looked at David. “Davey, you and Elektra are with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“To find Viper.”

“They’re coming,” said Psi-Borg.

“I know,” said the Neuri. “I can sense Logan and the effect he has on the Alshra. Long have I sought to keep him from it, working with his ignorance, driving him further away from it until he came across my mate. Then the others came to help him, showed him the Alshra and together they defeated my mate, destroying him totally.”

“Revenge is a pure enough motive,” said Ferro as he sat down. “Logan and his friends cost me a great deal when they attacked my island. Yes, I had Sabretooth kill Silver Fox, but that was about all I could do. Logan’s psionic disciplines have been instilled by Charles Xavier.”

“I know of this Xavier. A powerful man, capable of influencing the destiny of the planet in ways he cannot understand. It would be interesting to pit his mental powers against your own.”

“Remember we’re allies,” said Ferro, his eyes narrowing.

“Until I get bored of this arrangement,” replied the Neuri. “At the moment, I consider us equals working towards a common goal – the destruction of the man named Logan. Do not delude yourself that this is a permanent arrangement, or that you are in any way my equal. Your puny mental powers are no match for the unfettered rage of the Alshra.”

“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have Experiment X!” said Ferro, incensed by the Nerui’s disregard for him.

“If it wasn’t for me there would have been no Weapon X project! Remember that,” said the Neuri. “However thank you for reminding me. Send Experiment X out there, to lead Logan on a wild goose chase. We have work to do.”

“Ah, the lady Viper.”

“Yes. Let’s see if your skills in psionic surgery are as good as you claim…”

Yukio made her way through the city. The cease-fire ended shortly and then the streets would erupt in a cavalcade of violence and death. The guilds and Hydra were at each other’s throats constantly, and it was all Yukio and her friends could do to make sure bystanders were kept from harm.

Yukio wasn’t exactly at a disadvantage but she didn’t have mutant abilities of her own, or any powers. She was just a highly skilled thief and assassin and in this town it was usually more than enough.

Before the death of Tyger. All the old school of Madripoor were gone now. The Prince, General Coy, Archie, O’Donnell, Tai, now Tyger. Things weren’t the same any more and Yukio felt a sense of loss. This place was special, had been special, just reality had caught up in the last few years.

Now reality was being forced along and someone would pay for that. Logan would see to it, as he still thought of this as his town. In a sense it was. Only the most foolish messed with the man known as ‘Patch’ and so far nobody had got away unscathed, most not living to tell the tale.

She arrived at the Wharfside to see where she wanted to go, following Pier 17 down to the big house at the end. Wharfside was one of the first set up in Madripoor, used to be a part of Hightown, but things changed and the money left and so did the class.

She knew that breaking in would do her no favours, so she walked up and knocked on the door. It was made of solid steel, and it looked like the wooden walls had been reinforced as well. A little slit opened in the door.

“Yes?”

“I want to speak to Morrow.”

“Mr. Morrow isn’t here.”

“It’s important. Patch sent me.” Nobody was foolish enough to lie about that in this town and the door opened, allowing her entry. She went in and gasped. “You’re Morrow?”

“Yukio,” said Morrow. “It’s been a while.”

“Not long enough,” she spat. “How is he?”

“Gabriel is fine. I take it Logan does not know?”

“No,” said Yukio. “He sent me because it takes a thief to know a thief.”

“Well,” said Morrow.

“Well,” said Yukio. “I see your war with Piggot ended in your favour.”

“When Tyger consolidated the crime world after General Coy and Prince Baran departed, Piggot was fool enough to challenge her. Logan hadn’t been seen in months and he thought she was just using his reputation to keep hold. The reports of her killing Tai were rumours, nothing more. She lived, he died, I gained control.”

“That simple?”

“That simple.”

“Daddy?” came a voice from upstairs.

“Gabriel?” asked Morrow, and Yukio shivered slightly as an eleven year old came downstairs.

“Don’t,” she asked Morrow. “Don’t tell him.”

“Gabriel,” said Morrow, casting her a slight glance. “I’d like you to meet Yukio. She’s…. a cousin of mine.”

“Hello,” said Gabriel and Yukio crouched down, looking him in the eye.

“Hello,” she said softly. “It’s been a very long time since I saw you last,” she said. “You’re a handsome young man.” Gabriel flushed slightly.

“Gabriel, would you go back upstairs please? Yukio and I have business to discuss.”

“Yes, Daddy,” he said and went upstairs knowing full well what kind of business would be talked about.

“What does he know?” asked Yukio when he’d gone.

“His mother died in childbirth. I see no reason to tell him the truth now. Now, I assume Logan has sent you here because of the current situation.”

“Yes. He want’s to know what’s going on in the crime world, and how we can work together to stop this before it becomes too late.”

“It’s not that already?” asked Morrow. “However I understand. We have all worked too hard to get where we want to be to let the country go up all around us. This is what I know…”

Jessica made her way to the warehouse like Logan had asked.

There had been a while she hadn’t trusted him over his ties to Viper, and the idea that he was doing nothing to stop Hydra taking over had furthered that.

His marrying her had been a slap in the face to everyone he called a friend, and Jessica had hated him for it. Viper had put her and Lindsay through so much and Logan knew that. However that was a long time ago and she had gotten over it.

Mostly over it. She had helped him with that business with Weapon X before, and now she was helping him here. It was reforming the friendship they had lost, if only for a little while.

She knew Logan was asking a lot of her, knowing that this was a job for her special talents. Enhanced strength and the ability to stick to walls was always a plus – something she’d used to great affect as a private detective.

Her venom blasts would also come in handy, though she used them sparingly these days. It took a tremendous toll on her to generate one. At first she thought she’d lost the power completely but it was just it took a while to generate and longer to recover.

Chi Quano’s was in front of her. It was seemingly deserted, but that was what you were supposed to think. The Hand didn’t advertise their presence in Madripoor these days. Taking note of the building and what it looked like from the outside she continued down the street, wondering if she was being watched.

She didn’t doubt it and kept walking until she reached what she felt was a safe distance, where she jumped up, clung to a wall and scaled up to the roof, where she ran across the roofs until she reached Chi Quano’s again.

She jumped from the neighbouring roof to the wall and stuck to it, where she opened a window and climbed through. The warehouse was almost deserted, however there was a small light coming from a small office inside and Jessica made her way through the boxes and such to get closer where she could hear what was being said, being watchful for the Hand at all times.

“…and in conclusion,” she heard, “we estimate the war will decimate the island leaving it clear for the Hand to take over with minimal opposition.”

“This ‘Professor’ and ‘Doctor’ worry me,” said the man, whose face Jessica couldn’t see. “Why would they do this? It makes no sense.” Jessica held her breath, could it be these were the same Professor that Carol Hines had spoken of all those months ago?

“The Professor has an a mystical power about him,” said another. “We would not be able to best him with the magics of the Hand, especially after the problems with the Crimson Dawn.”

“Chen Yu was a fool,” said a man. His bionic hand glittered in the light, a patch covered his left eye and his hair was long down to his shoulders, but underneath Jessica could see a glint of metal. There was only one person it could be – Matsu’o Tsurayaba. “His scheme for immortality cost us dear. Half the Hand now fights as UnderHand, the others combating them whenever they attack. Chen Yu is dead, Elektra lost to us and she regained the soul of her friend Nina. Kuroyama was not pleased.”

“Even less so when Elektra showed up,” commented another.

“However that still leaves us with this situation,” said Matsu’o. “Whoever these people and their ‘Experiment X’ are, they are a threat, manipulating the events with a casual ease. I…” Jessica had heard enough and made her way towards the window, only to be met by a cadre of ninjas.

“Any chance you’ll let me go?” she asked, and was replied to with a sword, which she dodged with ease, sending a kick towards the nearest target knees. This was going to be difficult…

Elektra’s on edge, so’s Davey.

We ain’t exactly the ideal rescue squad for Viper but we’re all there is. There’s no love lost between the two of us, but she’s still my wife.

“What happened?” Elektra finally asks, as we follow my nose across town, hoping to find a clue as to where she could be. “Why did you leave?” I explained to her about Apocalypse, the Twelve, Kitty’s abduction and the human legacy virus.

I also explained how it was in the future whilst I was busy here and Gateway had fixed things so I could be in two places at once. Davey seems quite interested as well. It seems like there’s a determination about him that wasn’t there before.

“So you see, I had to go.”

“The world’s safe?”

“As it can be. All we have to do I sort this out.”

“Did you pick up any information about what goes on here?” asks Davey.

“Considered it,” I admit, “but then I was never one for predetermination so I avoided it.”

“Huh,” he comments with a shrug.

“Besides,” I answer, “what if it said we all died? Then what do we do? Sit around and wait for it to happen?”

“I hate time travel,” mutters Davey.

“Know the feeling,” I reply and taste the air. “I think I got her. She’s…”

~SHLUCKT~

As soon as I see him, the claws come out. The joker that killed Tyger, standing in front of us, standing there smiling. It’s enough to stoke the berserker in my soul, freeing the animal. Maybe it’ll have more luck than I did the last time.

“Don’t you learn?” he answers, his voice casting down the voice of God, as my claws do little more than tear his clothes. I stand there slashing away and he just laughs, picks me up and throws me back towards the others.

Elektra reacts quickly, launching shuriken at him, which bounce effortlessly off his hide.

“What the hell is he?” asks Davey, pulling out a pistol and firing off several rounds which stagger the man but nothing else.

“A piece of the past,” comes the answer and he points at me. “The eclipse has been dealt with, now you are mine.” He fires off a thin beam of light at me. The same stunt he used to kill Tyger.

As it comes towards me, Davey throws me the Honour Sword and I position it in front of the light beam. It bounces off the sword, ricocheting back at him. Blood is drawn, meaning he can be hurt, meaning he can be killed

“Didn’t expect that, did ya, bub,” I say with a grin. The sword’s made of a metal from an asteroid that fell to Earth, and has qualities about it that have saved my life more than once.

“Excellent,” said the man. “You were well chosen as the first one.” I look at him as the others look at me.

“First one?” I ask but he has gone, teleported out. His scent had Viper’s on it, and is still strong. Except it’s to the left of us, by about ten feet. He looks worried. Obviously he’s more injured than any of us figured. He starts to run. We start to chase.

I’ll get the answers from him somehow, except I have a feeling I won’t like what I hear…

NEXT ISSUE: Wolverine vs Experiment X! Elektra versus Matsu’o! David’s secret’s revealed and Madripoor erupts as the civil war begins again, with the Neuri and Psi-Borg looking on!